Meyer Shank Racing Rules Out IMSA Program for 2027

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

Mike Shank has ruled out remaining in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next year, after initially exploring options for customer programs in the GT and LMP2 ranks but admitted he would only want to continue “at the highest level.”

The Ohio-based team, which will expand into a three-car NTT IndyCar Series operation in 2028, will instead place all of its focus on the open-wheel series, while retaining nearly all of its staff as part of its increased partnership with Honda Racing Corporation USA.

“I think there’s two or three people that we’re losing out 60 or 70; they’ll all go to the IndyCar program,” Shank told reporters Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, site of this weekend’s IMSA Battle on the Bricks.

“The best news is that all my people are going to be under the roof still. So we can still pivot and do a program if it comes to that.”

Shank explained that its staff will be part of Honda’s R&D program with the new Dallara IR-28 next year, before the team expands into a three-car operation in running Honda’s chartered factory entry.

He admitted that MSR received offers to remain in the WeatherTech Championship following the news that Acura would wind down its factory GTP program at the end of the season, but ultimately decided against it.

“If we wanted to stay in sports cars, we could,” he said. “We could find a way. We could find somebody that’s supporting the program that wants to drive our car.

“We could go run GT if we wanted. I had a couple meetings with P2 folks.

“At the end of the day — and this is going to come across as really bad but this just how I feel — I feel like we’ve paid our dues in IMSA.

“I think we deserve to be at the top end. That’s where we live. If we’re not here at this point of my life, which is deep into my 50s, I just don’t want to do it.

“I want to stick with an OEM partner and I want to do it at the highest level we can. Otherwise, I’m probably just going to focus on the IndyCar stuff.”

Shank, however, said he wouldn’t completely close the door to a return to IMSA in the future, with his team having been active in Grand-Am, and then the WeatherTech Championship ever since 2004, with the exception of a one-year hiatus in 2024.

“I’m open to it but I want to do it the right way at this point of my life,” he said. “The last three years, I’ve done 31 weekends, myself and Jason Givens, my team manager.

“He and I are the only ones that do all of them.

“I told Jim [Meyer], my partner, who is here today, that I need to get some kind of balance going because it’s brutal at times.

“Jim supports that and we’ll just hone down on the IndyCar program, which I’m really happy about.

“But this, everything that Jim France has done for me, personally, my team with Jim [Meyer], my family… I can’t even put words to it how grateful I am.

“I’m hoping that [the Acura GTP program] is paused and if it’s not, then it’s not.”

He said the team would be able to quickly pivot to sports cars as early as 2028 if the right opportunity comes along, although stressed it must be linked with an OEM partner and in the top class.

“It wouldn’t be easy [for 2028] but when opportunities come, you have to be prepared,” said Shank.

“As an example, I’m actually going to expand my shop next year in case we pick up any other program. Maybe ultimately we decide to do an Indy [NXT] program; that’s possible. We can only run three IndyCars, that’s the max.

“I’m going to build the shop and keep the people at a staffing level that we can pivot pretty quick.

“If we need to go pick stuff up and start a sports car [team], we can do it in less than a month, we could be ready to go again.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John